The Adventures of Unc' Billy Possum eBook

Happy Jack didn’t know anything about Unc’
Billy Possum’s troubles. He supposed that
Unc’ Billy was safe at home in his own big hollow
tree, fast asleep, as he had been most of the winter.
Happy Jack couldn’t understand how anybody could
want to sleep such fine weather, but that was their
own business, and Happy Jack had learned a long time
ago not to worry about other people’s business.

After frisking about he would stop to rest. Then
he would sit up very straight and fold his hands across
his breast, where they would get nice and warm in
the fur of his coat. His beautiful, great gray
tail would be arched up over his back. His bright
eyes would snap and twinkle, and then he would shout
just for joy, and every time he shouted he jerked
his big tail. Farmer Brown’s boy called
it barking, but it was Happy Jack’s way of shouting.

“I love to romp! I love
to play!
I’m happy, happy, all
the day!
I love the snow, so soft and
white!
I love the sun that shines
so bright!
I love the whole world, for,
you see,
The world is very good to
me!”

By and by Happy Jack came to the hollow tree that
Farmer Brown’s boy had cut down because he thought
that Unc’ Billy Possum was inside of it.

“Hello!” exclaimed Happy Jack. “That’s
one of the old storehouses of my cousin, Chatterer
the Red Squirrel! I’ve got an old storehouse
near here, and I guess I’ll see if I have left
any nuts in it.”

He scampered over to another hollow tree standing
near. He scampered up the tree as only Happy
Jack can and whisked in at the open doorway of the
hollow. Now Happy Jack had been in that hollow
tree so often that he didn’t once think of looking
to see where he was going, and he landed plump on
something that was soft and warm! Happy Jack was
so surprised that he didn’t know what to do
for a second. And then all in a flash that something
soft and warm was full of sharp claws and sharper
teeth, and an angry growling tilled the hollow tree.

Happy Jack was so frightened that he scrambled out
as fast as he could. When he was safely outside,
he grew very angry to think that any one should be
in his storehouse, even if it was an old one.
He could hear a very angry voice inside, and in a
minute who should appear at the doorway but Unc’
Billy Possum.

Unc’ Billy had been waked out of a sound sleep,
and that was enough to make any one cross. Besides,
he had been badly frightened, and that made him crosser
still.

“What do yo’ mean by trying to frighten
honest people?” snapped Unc’ Billy, when
he caught sight of Happy Jack.

“What do you mean by stealing into other folk’s
houses?” demanded Happy Jack, just as angrily.

XXIV

HAPPY JACK SQUIRREL HELPS UNC’ BILLY POSSUM

It is very startling, very startling indeed, to rush
into your own storehouse, which you had supposed was
empty, and run right into some one sleeping there
as if he owned it. It is enough to make any one
lose his temper. Happy Jack Squirrel lost his.